


Salem World Cup

by stitchy



Category: Bewitched, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Marauder's Era, Marauders, Quidditch, World Cup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 13:14:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/913619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stitchy/pseuds/stitchy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Sirius meet a famous American witch at the World Cup.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salem World Cup

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on harrypotterfanfic.net, I think... I dug it out for old time's sake :)

James and Sirius landed on the pavement with a lurch.  
“Are we here? I’ve never used a portkey to travel this far before.”  
“I think we’d be dead if we’d cocked it up, James.”  
Sirius straightened out the collar of his leather jacket and shifted the straps of his rucksack, while James fumbled for the parchment with the instructions.

***************  
INSTRUCTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL WIZARDS TRAVELING TO WORLD CUP  
(portus Huntington Avenue)  
After emerging from alley behind theater, head East to Massachusetts Avenue. Enter “Inbound Symphony T-Stop” at corner, and do watch out for motor vehicles. Our understanding is that they will stay on the pavement, if you stay on the brick walkway, but do not tempt them.  
Drop enclosed token (one per witch or wizard) into turnstile, and push through faregate. Wait on platform for next train, which you will use to make the following connections to the Salem Ferry… (cont. on back)  
***************

“All right, let’s get a move on before the next group,” said James. He conducted them down the alley, which looked, he thought, not unlike parts of London.

“You haven’t been here before have you?” asked Sirius.

“Not this part of America, no. We took a holiday to the pueblos once when I was little, but they certainly didn’t have any buildings as tall as this.”

James stopped short and gawked at the skyscraper that had become visible, “PRUDENTIAL” said gleaming white letters at the very top.

“I think I have an aunt by that name,” said Sirius, “Or is it ‘Prudence’? Oi, is that the Tea Shop?”

“T-Stop, I think. Like T for train,” snorted James.

“Would have been an odd place for a Tea Shop anyway.”

Sirius and James trotted down the stair to the underground passage, and gave each other a nervous glance. James drew his token out of his pocket, and looked at it as though it might give further instruction.

“You first, mate.”

James stepped up the turnstile and popped the coin into a little slot at waist height. Nothing happened. He touched the gate experimentally, and it gave an inch. James swung it open and proceeded to the platform. Sirius followed his example and came along beside him.  
Before long the train came bumping along and rolled open its doors to its passengers. James and Sirius climbed over an elderly man’s overlarge suitcase to take a pair of seats by the window.

The boys arrived to the ferry without much incident; though they did stop a few minutes at one connection to listen to a man play a trumpet. They suspected he might be a wizard, as he wore a tux coat over a pair of overalls and purple shoes- but James’ father had warned him that American panhandlers were frequently mistaken for uninformed wizards in muggle clothes, and it would be best to keep a distance.

….

“Do you think Salem Witches Institute uses this boat to get to their school?” James wondered aloud. It wasn’t at all like the rowboats used to cross The Black Lake, but he supposed the school had to make some concessions if was going to remain secret in such an urban area.

“They have a younger broom age in this country, wouldn’t you do that instead?” joked Sirius.

“Reservations out please!” hollered a nearby man in uniform.

James immediately whipped two tickets out of his pocket. Ordinarily he would never have followed orders in so sycophantic a manner, but getting marooned abroad without muggle paperwork like a passport or this “dollars” he keep hearing about would be unpleasant.

“Stephens, D., check,” said the uniformed man, ”Black, S., check. Potter, J., ch- wait a minute…”

James’ heart skipped a beat, and his fingers curled around his wand in his pocket. “Err- James Potter, sir?” he volunteered. Should he confound him? He’d only been of age for a month- was it worth being in violation of the International Statute of Secrecy? Was it more serious to commit such a breach in a foreign country?

“Oh, your name got swapped around on the list, kid. You’re down as James, P. No harm done. Check.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

As they clambered up the ramp to the boat, Sirius pointed to a sign for whale watching that featured two pretty blonde muggle girls sharing a pair of binoculars. “Can we go women watching on a boat here, do you think?

The ferry dropped off the two boys to a dock, and they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their shuttle bus. 'Salem Woods, tickets only'  
The entirety of the grounds had been cast under a dictionary’s worth of disillusionment charms, muggle repelling spells, and jinxes to protect its secrecy, but as they passed into its borders, the site glittered into life. Lamps were adorned with flags of the two champion teams, Fitchburg Finches and Pride of Portree. Tents with chimneys and glass paned windows surrounded what the boys could see was an enormous wooden stadium. Just beside it loomed the manor on the hill that housed Salem Witches Institute.

“I heard they wanted to set up the game at Gallows Hill Park, but they couldn’t get the clearance to do such a large scale enlargement charm on the site by the deadline,” said one witch to another.

“Just as well it’s on the Institute’s grounds. Extra security, isn’t it?

“James, do you suppose the Institute is all witches, or co-ed?” inquired Sirius, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“I think it’s co-ed. Can’t imagine there are enough wizards to warrant their own school what with the historic ‘troubles’. So, no. I don’t think you’ll be the only wizard these witches have ever met,” said James.

“Yes, but one can always hope for some lingering Beatle-mania to get a bloke by, right?”

James and Sirius hopped off the bus, and tracked down the tent they would be sharing with some other Hogwarts students who had arrived the previous day. They gratefully dropped their rucksacks from their weary shoulders and stepped out of the tent, just as the dusk was illuminated by fireworks. Deep purple clouds of sparks erupted with the shining gold star of Portree, and fiery finches whizzed in and out of the trees, bursting into flecks of confetti at odd intervals. The two boys wound their way through the camp, noting the motley collection of witches and wizards that inhabited the festivities. Sirius suspected at least one vampire, but James assured him it was a hag.

Finally they found themselves at the ring of booths and concessions that surrounded the stadium itself. There were cauldrons boiling over with butterbeer, remarkable model broomsticks orbiting a bowl of candy snitches, and even replica team robes for favorite players. A banner fluttered on a arch that read 'Try Dr.Bombay's Cure-All Concoctions Today!'.

“Think they have Knotgrass Mead, then?” said Sirius, who was making a B-line toward some cauldrons glowing green. James shrugged and followed.

“Not likely,” said a new voice.

“What?” Sirius scoffed and spun, searching for the voice. A blonde girl about their age, maybe a year or two older was sitting cross legged on the ground with a small cauldron of hazel liquid in her lap.

“I think that’s more of a British drink, they won’t carry it here,” she smiled. “The drink here is a wormwood cola with rum.” She motioned toward the booth a few paces away.

Sirius grinned and winked to James before replying, “We’ll have to try a round then. May I get you one-“

“Samantha.”

“Ah, I'm Sirius. And this is James. May I get you a wormwood cola with rum, Samantha?” Sirius asked, as James rolled his eyes. James was always rolling his eyes at Sirius’ flirtations, as though he didn’t behave the same way to his own girlfriend.

The two boys returned a moment later with three drinks and a small bag of sugared almonds to share, and took a seat on the grass. James eyed the cauldron Samantha was brewing cautiously.

“What have you got there?” he nodded to her concoction.

Samantha sipped her fresh drink innocently, “Fizzing Whisker Whiskey. I was going to slip it to this blockhead I know who thinks he’s so hip, just ‘cause he got accepted to intern with Midwest Monster Management. He’s going on about how he’ll get to kill werewolves, but really the biggest thing he’ll ever see is a krup.”

“Sounds like a prat,” said Sirius a little uncomfortably. Not everyone could be enlightened, he supposed.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with werewolves of course. Mother would never admit it, but there’s a werewolf cousin on her side, and he’s very sweet,” she added.

“So what does your Fizzing Whisker Whiskey do, then?” asked James.

“It’ll taste like firewhiskey, but give him a kneazle’s nose that won’t come off unless he uses soap and water.”

“I might have to give that one a try sometime,” Sirius mused. “Do you go to Salem Witches Institute then, obviously you’re American.”

“How very perceptive of you,” Samantha jested. “Actually my mother never allowed it. She preferred to home school me, with the idea of sending me to the Wandless Bewitching College.”

“Wandless!?” James exclaimed. “There’s a whole school of witches and wizards who go about wandless?”

“You must be very talented,” commented Sirius.

Samantha twitched her nose, and Sirius’ glass replenished itself. “I can’t shake this though,” she said, pointing to her nose.

“It’s brilliant!” said Sirius.

“Well- Endora hates it, but she doesn’t like most things I do. Anyway, I’m not going to WBC.”

"Why not?!" asked both wizards, their minds boggled as to why anyone would refuse such an opportunity.

"I plan on disappointing my mother thoroughly, I think. I've been threatening either working for my Aunt Clara, or going into Muggle Relations."

"What does your Aunt Clara do?" asked Sirius, who very much approved of disappointing ones mother.

"She collects doorknobs."

James snickered, and Sirius let out a bark like laugh. Samantha only shrugged.

"I'll probably just move to New York. What about-"

A sonorous enhanced voice began to boom, "WELCOME TO THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP..."

"Samantha, why don't you come sit with us for the opening ceremony," said Sirius, hopping to his feet and offering his arm.

"Well all right!"


End file.
